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Rebecca Topham

I originally came to Europol in April 1999 (seconded by the British Police) when it was known as the Europol Drugs Unit attached to the Dutch Ministry of Justice. I subsequently became a Europol employee once Europol obtained its own legal status in July 1999. I obtained my current position following a recruitment procedure in 2005. In 2010 Europol became an agency of the European Union which introduced many changes and challenges to my area of work. One of the main changes aside from using a new accounting system was the transformation from cash to accrual-based accounting methods and the adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Europol becoming an agency also meant that I was introduced to the Inter-Agency Accounting Officers’ Network which meets once a year at a different agency’s location to discuss accounting topics of mutual interest.

My position at Europol is as one of the financial actors, however due to the nature of my duties and responsibilities, the principle of segregation applies. This means I am functionally independent from the Director and thus I am appointed by Europol’s Management Board.

My main responsibilities are:

Proper implementation of payments, collection of revenue and recovery of amounts established as being receivable;

Keeping, preparing and presenting the accounts;

Implementing accounting rules and methods;

Validation of accounting systems;

Treasury management.

On a personal level, I’m married with two children who both attend a Dutch school as my husband is Dutch and we have no plans to move away from The Netherlands. After almost 14 years residing in The Netherlands, it has become my home. The Hague in particular is a very international city and therefore has everything to offer the expat community. Having said that, I very much enjoy the Dutch culture and find the Dutch in general to be honest, friendly and hard-working.

Finally, although juggling a full-time and challenging job with family life can have its moments of madness, I wouldn’t have it any other way.